The Company

Platypod started with a simple idea. Photographers shouldn’t have to carry a full-size tripod everywhere just to have stable camera support when they need it. As founder Larry Tiefenbrunn puts it, there are more and more places where “the ‘Tripod Police’ simply won’t let you set up a conventional tripod at all.”

Platypod’s customers range from professional photographers and videographers to serious enthusiasts, content creators, and travelers around the world. “What began as an extremely compact, flat tripod has grown into an entire system of camera supports, ball heads, mounting products, and accessories for photography and video,” says Larry.

Today, Platypod products are sold directly through Platypod.com, on Amazon, and through major photography retailers such as B&H Photo.

The Challenge

Before Fulfillrite, Platypod sold mostly through Amazon, B&H Photo, and other authorized retailers, plus in person at trade shows like Photoshop World, PhotoPlus Expo, and WPPI. Larry simply didn’t have time to pick, pack, and ship individual consumer orders himself, so the company referred direct customers to its resellers. Platypod wasn’t set up for everyday direct-to-consumer fulfillment at all.

Things changed when Platypod went to Kickstarter. Crowdfunding became an important way for the business to grow. With each campaign came thousands of rewards, add-ons, and international orders to fulfill. In 2016, Larry found Fulfillrite through Kickstarter’s recommendations for fulfillment companies. The fact that Fulfillrite was in New Jersey, about an hour from home, was a big plus.

The Solution

Today, Fulfillrite is Platypod’s warehousing and fulfillment hub for North and South America, handling individual customer orders, inventory going to Amazon, and larger wholesale orders headed to retailers. “They’re really at the center of our North and South American distribution,” says Larry.

For Kickstarter campaigns, once a campaign ends, backers confirm their details and add products through BackerKit, which integrates directly with Fulfillrite. “When everything is ready, we can essentially push the completed orders over to Fulfillrite with the push of a button,” says Larry. Meanwhile, finished products are dropshipped straight from Platypod’s manufacturer in China to Fulfillrite, where they’re received, warehoused, and then picked, kitted, and shipped as the right combination of rewards and add-ons for each backer.

Everyday website orders flow in from Shopify the same way. And when something unusual comes up, like a very large order going to B&H Photo or Amazon, Larry can ask his account representative, Steve Schwab, to personally check that everything is packed in the correct quantities.

“Steve has always been very cooperative about giving those orders the extra attention they need,” says Larry. “The everyday orders are handled automatically, but when something needs special attention, there’s a real person I can call.”

The Results

“One of the biggest results for me personally is that I’m no longer running a warehouse out of my home,” says Larry.

For years, he stored significant Platypod inventory himself and personally handled large retail shipments, sometimes 20 cartons at a time bound for B&H Photo or Amazon. “Boxing up large cartons and dragging everything over to FedEx or UPS is something I’m very happy to let somebody else do these days.”

Now inventory goes directly from the manufacturer to Fulfillrite, which warehouses it and handles every outbound shipment, whether it’s going to an individual customer, Amazon, a retailer, or thousands of Kickstarter backers at once. The time savings are substantial, and Larry spends it developing new products, marketing them, and growing Platypod.

After nearly a decade, Larry has visited the facility several times, gotten to know the owner, and built personal rapport with the managers on his account.

His advice to other gear and electronics brands reflects that: “I wouldn’t choose a fulfillment company based on price alone. You’re trusting them with your inventory and, in many ways, with your relationship with your customers.”

Bumps happen in any logistics operation, he says. “What matters to me is what happens next. With Fulfillrite, I’ve always found that there’s someone I can talk to who takes the issue seriously and works with me to get it resolved.”

He’s seen other companies switch fulfillment centers two or three times. “Frankly, I haven’t had those problems with Fulfillrite. I started with them in 2016 and I’ve never had a reason to leave.”

I’ve been with Fulfillrite since 2016, and I’ve never had a reason to look elsewhere. I know the people handling my account, I can reach someone when I need them, and I trust them to take care of our inventory and our customers.

— Larry Tiefenbrunn, CEO & Inventor, Platypod

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